Tag: Transportation

What happened to the fill-er-up?

Is it just me, or did they take away the “fill-up” at the gas station? I distinctly remember at one point in time being able to hand my card over to the attendant and say “fill-up on #3,” return and get my card and sign the thing. For whatever reason, I now am expected to tell the attendant how much gas I wish to purchase up front. I have been told that the system requires it.

Is it for my convenience? Judging by the overall surliness of your average gas station attendant of either sex, that is highly unlikely. Is it an anti-fraud measure? Can I tell him I want $300 worth of gas and then complain when he doesn’t have a giant container for me to take the other $250 worth home with me? I suppose that’s just it–it’s probably an anti-fraud measure preventing me from “acquiring” somebody else’s card and pumping $8000 worth of supreme into my friends various tricked out whips.

If that’s the case, is anybody else annoyed by it enough to complain anyway?

Power to the People

Cooldmz was happy to report that his travel plans were not delayed this morning at Sacramento International Airport in light of recent security restrictions placed on all air travel. With some proper prior planning, the wait at Terminal 2 was fewer than 5 minutes. In fact, the wait was much longer at the Pyramid Brewery kiosk! This goes to show you, of course, that when faced with adversity we humans can rise to the occasion and go with the flow! As long as the “flow” is coming from a beer tap…at 6am…on a weekday.

Grounded!

For hours now the news has been full of reports that mass murder in the skies has been averted, thanks to arrests of suspected terrorists in the U.K. New security measures are in place, and lines are reported long.

What does this mean for anyone trying to fly out of Sacramento International now? A friend just bailed on a business trip East. Her morning flight hadn’t boarded by afternoon.

We’re supposed to go to San Diego Saturday. Part of me says, “oh heck, just drive!”

Have to see how things develop in the next 48 hours. What would you do for a short trip? Is it worth the drive time to skip the airport?

What could have been

Over the years, we’ve all heard rumors of where freeways in our region were planned to be built before right-of-way was sold off to developers. While packing up my house, I happened across an old Thomas Guide my friend Mike brought to my house about eight years ago since he knows I have an affinity for maps. I finally got around to looking at it last week, and it shows the alignment of the freeways that were proposed at that time.

guide.jpg

The guide is so old (“HOW OLD IS IT?” think Match Game) that it still shows I-5 south of downtown as a proposed freeway.
Continue reading “What could have been”

Drivers beware!

My brother was first in line at Fry’s this morning to snap up a refurbed GPS for under $200. He has wanted one for a year, even though he knows every street in the county and is the only one I know who can make it from Kennedy to Jesuit during rush hour in a half-hour. (He has his secrets, and won’t share them.)

He is now on his way to the airport, to pick up a friend of ours coming in from Baton Rouge. (I love saying “Baton Rouge.” So much more fun than “Red Stick,” don’t you think?)

“But … you KNOW how to get to the airport,” I said, pointing out the patently obvious. “You’ve been there a million times. Hell, you used to WORK there. You don’t need a computer to tell you the way.”

“Ahh, but does the GPS know how to get there?” he replies. “THAT’s the question!”

I’m going to assume it does, and not bother with an update. Boys and their toys! Sheesh!

Would you pay more for a cooler car?

Wouldn’t you think by now there’d be a car that keeps itself relatively cool when parked in the sun? Turns out there used to be:

Fifteen years ago, Mazda introduced a solar-powered ventilation system that would continuously flush hot air out of a vehicle parked in the sun. A solar cell array was mounted on the moon roof, supplying power to a small fan that drew in outside air.

The system worked only when the car was parked in the sun, exactly when it was needed. It was not hooked up to the car’s battery and therefore could not drain it. A Mazda spokesman confirmed that the system was offered as an option and that it was dropped.

Seems like an option that would be extremely popular in Sacramento. Here’s a piece on the history of such systems, how they work and why they’re not available. (Bugmenot will get you in to the Web site without signing up.)

In the meantime … oh, for a parking spot in the shade!

Sacramento’s flying carpet

When passengers “deplane” (could this be the only word in the English language coined by flight attendants?), their first sense of what their destination is like comes from what they see in the airport. Many cities go to great lengths to convey to travellers the essence of their locales through the architecture and art that is displayed in the terminals.

Sac International is no different in that regard. As part of their expansion/renovation, they’ve had displayed a “flying carpet” by artist Seyed Alavi:

This project consists of an aerial view of the Sacramento River that is woven into a carpet for the floor of a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to the parking garage. This image represents approximately 50 miles of the Sacramento River starting just outside of Colusa, California and ending about 6 miles south of Chico.

Continue reading “Sacramento’s flying carpet”

There are TREES on Fair Oaks Boulevard?

Shocker!

If you travel on Fair Oaks Boulevard between Eastern and Watt Avenues — also known as miles 18-19.5 of the marathon course — you’ve no doubt seen the new signs reading, “CAUTION: TREES NEAR ROADWAY,” complete with a graphic representation of trees near a roadway.

I’d post a photo, but given the speed at which people drive in this section, even my hardhat and orange vest wouldn’t protect me from being mowed over by a (insert name of luxury car or pricey SUV here.)
Continue reading “There are TREES on Fair Oaks Boulevard?”